I am reasonably confident that come Friday Drypool will appear as a Conservative loss in the previous night’s local by-elections. The by-election in Hull comes about because of the resignation of a former Liberal Democrat councillor who switched to the Tories and was found to be living and working in Guernsey yet still claiming his Councillor’s allowance. (See previous blog on the subject: Hull Tory councillor who works in Guernsey forced to resign)
Delivering in the ward today and chatting to people as I went round, I found little evidence that the Conservatives would hold this seat. Interestingly the outgoing Tory councillor doesn’t even get a mention on their leaflet such, I guess, is the complete lack of impact he made in the ward. So the fight, as is usually the case in Hull, will be between the Liberal Democrats and Labour (the Tories got less than 9% in Drypool in 2008). Probably too close to call but if Linda Chambers does win for the Liberal Democrats it will be the party’s first gain from the Conservatives in Hull since the early 1970s. So Thursday could be quite historic in that sense albeit in somewhat unusual circumstances.
Tags: Drypool, Hull, Liberal Democrats, Linda Chambers
